§ Mrs. MayTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his Department's policy is for the retirement age of staff contracted on the basis of casual employment; when the current policy was introduced; and what were the reasons for introducing the current policy. [31600]
§ Mr. Straw[holding answer 27 February 1998]: The normal retirement age in the Home Office for all staff in non-industrial grades, including those employed on a casual basis, is 60 years. Retention after the age of 60 will be granted only exceptionally at the discretion of the Head of Department, or Chief Executive in the case of Home Office Agencies. The current policy for age retirement was announced in 1993 and introduced with effect from 1 April 1995. Staff in industrial grades, including those 473W employed on a casual basis, may be retained beyond the age of 60, subject to their continued efficiency and good health, up to a maximum of 65 years of age.
The current policy was introduced to give the Department greater flexibility to tackle organisational and personnel uncertainties and to avoid the need for compulsory redundancies for staff below the minimum retirement age.